Once Upon A Dream
by FloodFeSTeR
Summary: Natalia is a woman out of time, struggling with manic episodes and night terrors from this new world she's been thrust into. There's more than one complication on the road to find her son, but she may not be as alone as she thought.
1. Her and The Others

_**So, this is sort of a combination fic, to quell my Fallout 4 lust (yes I mean lust because jeez, have you played it?) and to hopefully jog some of my inspiration for You're Pretty Face Is Going To Hell back (And New Vegas: A Ghoul's Perspective, but its always been a side project so. . .)**_

 _ **But anyway, this is, like I said, possibly a combination fic and I will give disclaimers in the next chapter. And identities. So enjoy, review, fav and follow!**_

* * *

 _She's baking._

 _The house smells fantastic, like gently burnt pie crust and Nate's aftershave; it's more comforting than anything in the world to her._

 _She never bakes, but Shaun's first birthday is coming up soon and she wants to get recipes perfected for Mrs. Whitfield's block party she's throwing for the first baby in the neighborhood._

 _They. . .they adore him, Natalia couldn't wish for a better life. Surrounded by good friends, good food and the strong arms of a loving husband. She was living the dream, the perfect dream, complete with the perfect house and the perfect robot butler._

 _"Codsworth, can you set the timer for thirty minutes," she hums, pushing back a strand of jet black hair; it makes her look older, a blessing and a gift she had earned from her mother._

 _"Of course, ma'am," she hears his jets before she sees him, smiles softly to herself; yeah, her splurge on him was money well spent. "Ma'am, there seems to be something wrong."_

 _Natalia furrows her brow and looks up from the oven dial, ready to scold his paranoia so she fails to notice the rust flaking off beneath her fingers._

 _Her mouth dries up at the sight of Codsworth, rusted and dented from bullets that had just barely missed. His sensors constrict and widen as he looks at her, the dying sun peeking through the missing paneling behind him. Her eyes flicker around his dented chassis, shuffling back a step or two, like if she stepped far enough away he would be shiny and polished all over again. His jet wouldn't sputter with every third or fourth whir when he struck out his blade because he has always complained of possibly having some pain in a metal limb. . ._

 _"C-Codsworth," she shook her head, hand stretching out to touch him but. . .she retracted the hand and rubbed it tenderly around the wrist. "Codsworth, what happened to you?"_

 _If he could have cocked his head, he would have, but instead he continued to float there. "Well, ma'am, I suppose over two hundred years of not receiving my polish causes for some rust, but if you are concerned about my missing arm, Sir Sturges is fixing the joint, got a bit of mongrel blood in the joints it would seem."_

 _Her head was spinning already._

 _Natalia shook her head, rubbing her face with her hands. "Mongrel? What the -"_

 _She dried up again when she saw her hands, no longer soft and smooth with those smattering of freckles over the crest of her thumb and forefinger. No, now her hands were smeared with oil like she has worked on the car that morning, her freckles scarred away with a burn._

 _She twisted her hands back and forth, watching the fingers shake the longer she stared. "O-Oh God," her eyes trailing up the leather of her arm, the bulky covering on her shoulder. "What am I wearing? What in the -" she paused, swallowing thickly and pushing Codsworth aside._

 _There was no door to push through, stumble through, but there was sunlight and that unevenness in the sidewalk she had never fixed, right there at the stoop. She cried out as her palms connected hard enough with the concrete to instantly bruise and draw blood, her eyes registering her hair not falling into her face - like it. . .like it always did._ _Her fingers grazed over the rough, cat like texture of the side of her head, the stub of a ponytail at the back of her head. What happened to her hair? It was her favorite thing about her, always had been, was the prettiest anyway._

 _Thick, long and wavy, the color as black as her own irises._

 _"Natalia?"_

 _She screamed and whirled onto her back, her arm arching up and knocking into whoever it was that had grabbed her shoulder. It was a woman that landed on the ground beside Nova, sputtering out curses and wearing what was possibly a red flannel, but there was enough dirt and grime to mistake it for brown. She gave Natalia this bewildered look, like she were pissed off but also not, almost sympathetic; annoyed._

 _"Preston," the woman snapped at the wind, dusting off her thighs; like that would help. "She's doing her crap again!"_

 _Natalia looked around, heart hammering loudly in her chest as she watched the silhouette approaching past the woman. His rifle glowed red and hummed, the leather of his suit crackling as he crouched down in front of her. Natalia stared into the mans face, air whistling between her teeth as the faint sound of claws clicking on concrete came to her._

 _"Look like shit, General," he started._

 _She furrowed her brow, confused and ready to ask what he was talking about, who he was, but there was a blinding flash in the distance and her entire world was engulfed in fire and smoke._

 _Natalia screamed._

* * *

"The Commonwealth. . .nice to finally see this place, I was tired of only getting the rumors," she mumbled, flicking her cigarette butt off to the side and into the brush. "Think we'll find her out here or is it just wishful thinking?"

"You know my response," his fingers flexed around the barrel of his gun; he jerked his chin as her insistent scratching at her neck. "Is it bothering you again?"

She immediately dropped her hand to the laser rifle she cradled so gently. "Its fine," she snapped, rolling her head on her shoulders. "Not like you can fix it or anything - lets find this Diamond City, think its that there in the distance?"

He looked up at the skyscrapers she pointed to, shrugging and following her down the incline she had started down. "I do not see where else the city could be, according to Harkness the city is quite large."

"And I thought D.C. was unsettled," she shook her head and looked around as they walked. "This place gives me the damn creeps. . .I wonder if Alex is gonna join us like he said."

"He is still in Vegas, Mistr -"

"What did I say about calling me that?"

"To not to," she glared at him sideways but gave up in favor of seeing him keep that smirk on his face. "I would like to keep an air of our original relationship whilst we are here, if you don't mind."

She shrugged. "I'm cool with that, but don't go completely mercenary on me, okay? I can't stand that shit anymore. But yeah, we don't need anyone thinking they can use us against each other. I doubt we're unexpected."

"You would be correct in that. I was. . .just be aware that they have eyes on us at the moment."

"Great," she grumbled. "Then lets give em a show, shall we?"

* * *

She wakes up with a familiar scream, one that rocks the neighborhood and has Dogmeat on edge and yapping, his claws clicking on the floor around the mat she had slept on that night. She's sitting up and panting, voice hoarse and she's clenching the fabric of her sleeping back like her life depends on it.

It kind of does.

The sun is barely peeking through the holes in the ceiling but Natalia doesn't care about the stinging in her retina from the assault - she's too busy scrambling for the crumbling crib beside her. Its paint flakes yet again beneath her hands, her nails digging into the wood; it crumbles beneath the grip, so old it could collapse any day now.

Still empty, still has the smell of baby powder after all these years and she clenches the fabric tight, holds it to her nose. It doesn't matter if there's mold and dust on it, she can still smell Shaun, deep down in the blanket and the mattress. Her baby, she would never forget that smell, never be able to have it wiped away. She had never known love until she looked down at that screaming, wriggling mess of droll and blood when the doctor had lifted him into her arms.

Natalia opens her eyes slowly, a lone tear trailing down the side of her face; she can't cry anymore.

She jumped when a cold nose pressed into her underarm, scowling at Dogmeat. He whined and hung his head, giving her a pair of sad eyes to kill for; Natalia only sighed. He worried more about her than she worried about herself, which was pretty sad all things considered.

They both jumped when there was a rasp of knuckles on the door, the front one thankfully, so Natalia had time to clear herself up a little on her way. She straightened the baggy, white wife beater she was wearing and had to grab her pants, but the rest didn't matter. It wasn't like it would be a stranger, most likely Mama or even Codsworth, maybe even Sturges - but it was Preston.

He gave her a concerned look but her scowl brought his attention back to her face. "Natalia," he started. "Was it a nightmare or was there actually something attacking you this time?"

"Nightmare," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "You didn't run here that fast because I screamed, you were already outside my door weren't you," he cleared his throat nervously and Nova hummed. "I figured, what do you want, Preston?"

He frowned deeply and cradled his rifle, all business again; Natalia was glad, she didn't like it when he tried to get personal with her. Two months and he had tried every which way to make her apart of the personal side of this community but she just wanted to be the maker, not the leader. He could lead, she would bring in supplies - that was the deal, and she was becoming unneeded in that department thanks to the expansions.

"Natalia, we all think you need to leave," she narrowed her eyes. "Not permanently, just for awhile. Your. . .episode are becoming more frequent, you're scaring some of the newcomers."

"This is my home," she snapped, a desperate whine behind it. "Are you really thinking of kicking me out of my own house?"

"We're not kicking you out, Natalia," Preston said with a firm tone. "Think of it as. . .a vacation. You just seem to get worse and worse every day, have you even made it to Diamond City? Have you tried to find your son at all?"

" _Don't_ ," she snapped. "Don't act like you care, he's not your child."

"But he's yours and here you are having night terrors and helping us fish. You need to leave - _now_ , Natalia. Get your shit and get out of here. Don't make me come back," he paused at the edge of the sidewalk and gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Natalia I really am but I'm not gonna watch you do this to yourself - or your kid."

"Eat me," she snapped, fists clenched at her sides.

Preston shook his head and started down the sidewalk, ignoring the looks Natalia couldn't from the women working on the crops. She slammed the door behind her, teeth clenched until pain shot through her gums; Dogmeat whined and shuffled in front of the couch. Natalia glared sideways at him but stomped towards the back of the house.

They wanted her gone, she would leave. She didn't want to be here anymore anyway, she didn't like this place - it wasn't home, would never be until she got Shaun back.

Fuck, Preston was right.

"I hate that man sometimes," she mumbled as she secured the strap of armor to her shoulder. "Especially when he's right."

She probably looked a sight in raider armor, her only distinction from them was the bright blue and yellow of her vault suit underneath the straps and twisted metal. She could take the power armor, but she didn't have any fusion cores and they weren't easy to come by so far North. So, half raider it was, and the musket she'd managed to put together last week. The parts were hard to find, but raiders didn't seem to favor lasers so she made another distinction so she wasn't fired at on sight.

"You ready boy," her voice still cracked from screaming, but Dogmeat didn't notice the difference. "I guess we won't be coming back here for awhile."

He let out a loud bark, tail wagging and Nova sighed, grabbing her musket and heading for the door. When she opened it this time, Codsworth was on the doorstep, making Natalia a little more than curious. He didn't like the house anymore, said he had spent far too long in its walls and in its bushes to be comfortable with it anymore. Which meant, very rarely, did he ever come to the house anymore, even when Natalia was inside.

"Will you be bringing the young sir home, ma'am?"

Natalia hesitated. "Yeah. . .yeah, I'm bringing him home when I go out this time," she paused. "I'm gonna be gone for a long time, Codsworth. Are you okay with that," did he know they were practically kicking her out?

His appendages spun in a circle, claw coming too close for comfort. "Why of course, it gives me more time to tidy up for the lads return. He shouldn't come home to a dirty crib."

Natalia smiles softly. "Right," she sighed. "Then take care of the house while we're gone, Dogmeat won't be here to chew on ya this time."

"Hmph, well that is marvelous news. I wish you and. . .him as much luck as I can muster, yes?"

Natalia actually chuckled at that, patting his chassis with a gloved hand. "Thanks, buddy," she mumbled. "I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

"Oh take your time, ma'am, I am sure you will need as much as you can get to do what you must to get the young lad back."

Natalia hummed, narrowing her eyes slightly but not at Codsworth, at the sky line. "Whatever I must. . ."


	2. Reservations and Idjits

_**(At the moment I'm posting this, the story has 111 views and I'm laughing for some reason)**_

 _ **So, its 11:30 p.m. here but I couldn't wait to post considering I am so happy with the response and I am just too excited for this story. I'm happy everyone is enjoying this and I am thankful for the reviews!**_

 _ ****Now, my disclaimer (s):** If you have read my FO3 story Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell then you know Nevaeh but I have not completed her story yet (I'm not even close) but I had to involve her here. Please do not take everything from this and apply it to her story (meaning references to anything that she or her companions talk about meaning past events or such) because 98% of her back story for this fic has been altered but there are a lot of things I mention here that I may include in her story._

* * *

" _Charon, I swear to God!_ "

"So you can bring home a radroach, but I cannot bring along a hound?"

" _Charon_ , that is most definitely _not_ a hound that's. . .that's. . .I don't even know _what_ that is."

It was a. . .something, whatever it was, stocky and as tall - maybe a little taller - than Charon's hip and all she could see were _teeth_. Its yellow, molted tongue lolled between those teeth and its beast little eyes were trained on her - she wanted them the fuck off of her.

"Charon, get that thing to stop staring at me."

"Nevaeh, if you would touch him -"

"Nuh uh, he might bite me and this," she grabbed the edge of her collar and exposed the flaking patch of muscle edging up her throat. "Is what happened after Fluffy bit me - and I liked her."

"He will not bite, I can assure you," Charon placated, placing a hand on the top of the hounds skull; it looked up at him in an almost adoring way, something Nevaeh had never seen directed towards Charon before. "Come now, he could be a valuable asset - and he's more durable than Rex ever was."

"Okay that's not fair," she pouted, still eyeing the hound warily. "Can you promise me he won't bite?"

Charon sighed, shifting his weight. "Yes, I promise he will not bite you. I will kill him myself."

She held out her pinkie and he glared at it. "Pinkie promise," he shook his head and she shook her hand angrily at him. "Pinkie promise dammit."

Charon rolled his eyes and hooked a scabby finger around hers, which made her beam and he actually smiled a little. "Now, pet the damn dog."

Nevaeh made the most ridiculous face she could muster to mock Charon and he just rolled his eyes again, watching her pull a hand from her rifle and hesitantly reach out towards the mutant. They'd run into it just outside of some town called Lexington, just on the edge of the city, and even Nevaeh had to go off track to examine the creature. They'd run into a handful already, accompanied by super mutants which was understandable because he could feel the radiation coming from this thing; an FEV reject.

Nevaeh released a small squeak and she pet the slimy, bumpy skull, relaxing slightly when all it did was sniff at her hand. "You win this round," she pointed at Charon. "But, so long as he can pull his own weight and keep our asses protected, I guess he can stay."

"Fluffy will be jealous," he teased, which surprised Nevaeh. "I can have a sense of humor."

"But you cannot say Fluffy," she shook her head and looked up at the sky. "So, how much longer do you think we got?"

"The lights from the stands are not too far through those buildings, a block or two maybe."

Nevaeh nodded softly, watching with a slight grimace as the hulking beast trotted ahead of her. "Hey, he looks like he's found something."

Charon looked up from the trunk of a Corvega he was inspecting, nodding softly as a signal to follow the hound. Nevaeh nodded in response, raising her rifle to be able to peer down the sights and she jogged after the hound.

"Hey, are you gonna name this thing," she murmured as they followed the sound of gunfire through an alleyway.

"I will leave that up to you," Charon hissed against her back. "Do you believe this is the best time to discuss this?"

"Seriously? All these years and you think I ever act properly at the right time?"

He said nothing and Nevaeh chuckled, chasing after the hound as it charged around the corner. _Subtle, monster, very subtle_. She watched it tackle a raider to the ground, its back claws tearing into the raiders stomach while his front paws pinned his shoulders down, his jaws crushing his head like Nevaeh through one of the Vaults sweetrolls.

"Die fucker," she snarled and fire rapidly at the raider in cage armor that was charging straight at her. "Not smart, dude, not smart," she sighed and swung her rifle around and into his helmet, shattering the lens and jamming the pieces into his eyes. "What," she asked as he screamed and writhes on the ground. "I told you it was a bad idea, but do you listen? _Noooo_."

She heard two more belches from Charon's shotgun and looked over at the hound, which was feasting on its kill. She hummed and slung her laser rifle over her shoulder, looking up at Charon as he approached. Blood was spattered up his breast leather and he licked it from his lips, hazy eyes back in that bored expression. Nevaeh jumped when she heard sloshing and looked back to the hound, arching an eyebrow as his shoulder continued to shake even after he had stopped to lick his chops.

"How about Smelly?"

* * *

She definitely has some _reservations_ about using a laser musket. . .but it gets the job done, she supposes.

"Why won't you die," Natalia growled between her teeth, winding the musket up before she curved around the edge of the car, fire twice into the leg of a raider.

Dogmeat whined and turned a circle, snarling as he raised his haunches but Natalia wouldn't let him go on the account of he already had two bullets lodged in his front right leg. He had to be in pain, but she had to admire the dogs resolve and his pain tolerance, she could hardly take a step without Med-X some times and he was still ready to charge into battle. Natalia adjusted her grip, fire two more times and grinned when the raider wailed, falling out of his cover, gun clattering away from him.

"Ha ha, bitch," if her husband could see her now. . .

Model housewife gone, Natalia was a veritable monster of the wastes now.

She craned her neck out, raising the musket as it hummed with a new charge. When she saw no enemies, she kicked out of her hiding spot and slid across the rubble, slamming the end of her rifle into the raiders skull. He screamed again, coughing up blood and then choking on his teeth as she slammed the rifle down into his face again.

Natalia panted as she slowly slumped to her knees, cradling the rifle in her arms; she'd been running on empty already, she was afraid if she sat here for too long, she'd completely give out.

She jumped when there was a wet nose against her cheek, in her hair. "Oh right," she mumbled and brushed Dogmeat's face away from hers. "Just uh. . .gimme a minute boy."

He whined and slapped his haunches down on the ground, panting loudly as he watched Natalia digging through the raiders pockets; ammo, stimpaks - a real jackpot, to be honest. She promptly jammed the stimpak into Dogmeat's shoulder, which scared him and he yelped.

"Oh, you big baby," she muttered and reached into the pouch on her thigh, producing a heavy ser of tweezers. "This is not gonna be pleasant, big guy," she arched an eyebrow; he barked once. "Alright then. . ."

She braced a hand against his chest and cringed as she pried the first bullet out, watching muscle slowly beginning to twist and scar. She dropped the bullet onto the ground and it clattered loudly, soon followed by the second bullet and antibiotic spray that made the dog actually growl at her.

"I can always leave you behind in Sanctuary, you can help with the crops again. . .and I know you hate Sturges' harnesses when he tries to work you."

He whined and huffed, which made Natalia chuckle as she rose to her feet. She'd never really cared for pets before she had woken up, but now she didn't know what she would do without him. He was smarter than any animal she had ever met, which made communication easy and their fights shorter; he could even tear through a one of those mutant hounds like it was a regular day in the park for him. His enthusiasm was also well appreciated, because she didn't have any and someone needed to be happy and cute when she was bartering or just traveling in general.

"Alright boy," she mumbled, grabbing her pack from where she had left it in her hiding spot. "Lets go."

And he followed like he was told, at her heels and several yards in front of her, Natalia watching above while he kept his nose to the ground.

Two months, it'd been two months since she made it out of that damn Vault and she felt as though she had done nothing. She was so close to Diamond City, but so much had gotten in her way that she should have been here ages ago. The Minutemen, running from raiders, trying to survive those minor breakdowns she had while trying to put some distance between her and her old house. . .

She couldn't go back to Sanctuary for awhile.

She'd finally managed to pull herself together, get on her feet and get her shit together to make it past the turrets she had helped build. Maybe she had gone a little overboard making Sanctuary a relative fortress, but she'd kind of lost herself in steel and circuit boards; talents she didn't even know she possessed had cropped up.

Natalia shook her head and looked up at the dying sun, chewing softly on her lip as she tried to gauge the distance through the buildings. She wasn't too far from the city lights, just over a bridge and through another block or two of shops and she'd make it.

She'd shopped in those buildings, had her son in the hospital she'd just burned through, bought Codsworth in that store ahead - this was her whole life in ruins, not most people could say that really.

In the wastes, yes people got enslaved and tortured, their lives turned over but they grew in it, knew the dangers. In her old life, her only concern was whether or not she'd get done with the grocery shopping before her husband got home. In the blink of an eye she'd watch things happened that she would have never imagined.

Her husband shot in front of her eyes.

Her baby stolen.

Had a monster attack her in the blink of an eye.

Barely escaped raiders.

Nurse a bullet wound in her shoulder.

Natalia's life had been taken from her, and where she couldn't get that back, she could get Shaun back and she'd make sure everyone that had a hand in this would pay. For Shaun's sake, for her husbands, for her own; she had to find some kind of closure, and this would be the first step. After she got her son back. . .she supposed she could return to Sanctuary again, introduce him to her new friends.

"Better friends," she whispered, staring hopefully at the bridge slow approaching.

The people before the bombs. . .before the vault. . .they were never really her friend, they just talked to her for looks to the outside. Tried to give the air of a together community, when they rarely talked to each other outside of social functions. Where they had no real choice. It made Natalia sick thinking of it for some reason, maybe because it took nuclear war and two hundred years to find people that had vowed to kill for her and because of her, to keep her safe and she would do anything for those people.

One's that would kick her out of her own house because it really was for her own good.

Natalia was jolted out of her mental ranting about shitty friends by a laser beam shooting a hair breath from her face. A puff of breath left her teeth in a shuddering way and she dropped to the ground, whipping her head back to find the source of the attack. Dogmeat had his nose turned towards the air, Natalia watching it twitch in the breeze. He whined loudly in his throat and slowly sank back to his haunches, looking at his master like she had grown a second head.

Natalia licked her lips slowly, eyes down the sight of her rifle. There was no other sound besides the wind now, no sign that she had been fired at, no eyes through the windows - just her, Dogmeat and air.

"Am I. . ." She slowly lowered her gun, her eyes darting around frantically. "Am I imagining things again?"

Dogmeat just stared and Natalia grumbled, standing straight and giving the buildings one final sweep of her eyes before she started walking again, this time a bit more cautious.

She should have taken the power armor with her, but that seemed to make everything go so much slower despite the damage threshold she could keep up. But then there was the concern of the fusion coil and well, she wouldn't be able to just leave the armor wherever it ran out and come back; it'd be scrapped in a second.

"I'm exhausted," she groaned and looked up at the sky, scowling at it. "I wonder if there will be a place for me to rest. . .it better," she grumbled, like it were a threat.

Sleep was becoming a sort of rarity for Natalia.

And it seemed it would become extinct here soon.

"What do you say boy, we haggle for a room and sit low for awhile," she reached out and scratched behind the dogs ear, earning a happy yelp for the attention. "Maybe. . .but if Preston doesn't hear about me on the radio, he'll come after me," she groaned and her steps echoed as she crossed the bridge. "Dammit, fine we get in and we do what we have to do. Don't let me slack off, boy, no matter what I say or do."

The dog barked loudly and wagged his tail, loping over the ladder strung between the ends of the bridge.

The dog was a better being than she was, that was for damn sure.

"Smarter too," Natalia mumbled and strapped her rifle to her back before she followed over the ladder.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit I missed right," Nevaeh's breath shook between her teeth as she held her rifle muzzle-up against her chest. "Please tell me I didn't hit her."

Charon sighed and pushed the bulky snout of Hound ( _yeah, real creative Nevaeh_ ) out of his way, shuffling forward on the balls of his feet. He leaned forward and watched the woman in her Vault suit climbing over the gap in the bridge, breathing a new sigh, this one of relief. Nevaeh was staring at him with big eyes, chewing on her lip; he'd never seen her look guilty about anything, it surprised him.

"You missed miraculously, but she noticed. She's gone though, headed for Diamond City," he looked back at where she had crossed over. "She was wearing a Vault suit," he looked back to Nevaeh. "Never seen someone just moving around in one of those, unless they were from a Vault."

" _Were_ there control Vaults in Massachusetts," Nevaeh questioned, shrugging down the steps at Hound's heels. "I didn't read on any in Vault-Tec."

"There was one that dealt with the effects of cryo-stasis," Charon hummed. "Perhaps she was just woken."

"Would make sense," Nevaeh mumbled. "I wanna find the Vaults later, see what I can scavenge from the remnants. Maybe one of them has another G.E.C.K."

"We could only be so lucky," Charon grumbled, eyeing the nearing firelight and hearing the growl of super mutants. "Do you think they will be angry that we have one of their pets?"

Nevaeh gave Hound a wary look; it ignored her, appearing more than proud with the raider arm hanging from his teeth. "I'm more concerned about if he's gonna turn on us or not. He is a super mutant spawn after all."

"That does not mean his loyalty will sway."

"Charon, you and that jackass are the only things I know that have even heard or have the concept of loyalty. And I still questioned that a few times. . ."

"Did you just call me a thing?"

Nevaeh rolled her eyes but grinned. "Yes sweetheart, I surely did."

"I find that offensive."

"What do you _not_ find offensive," she rolled her eyes again.

"Radiation."

"Of course."

Hound gave its garbled, twisted version of a bark as it barreled over the ladder that served as an extension of the bridge. Nevaeh gave Charon a concerned look and gingerly climbed over as well, Charon confidently walking and earning a glare from the woman. Hound was loping away from them, towards bursts of gunfire and the sound of turrets rumbling. Nevaeh raised her rifle s they eased through the buildings, cringing when she saw the men with SECURITY printed in white on their backs. They were firing at Super Mutants that were sheltered in a building, hounds charging at the security but having a hard time with the padding they wore.

Nevaeh fired at the hound baring down on one of the men, nodding once as it jerked and turned to ash above him. Hound was tearing into what must have been a Skirmisher's leg, confusing the mutant as he fell with a loud crash to the floor.

"Fine," Nevaeh shouted to Charon, who stood at her right and fired with his shotgun. "The dog isn't as bad as I thought he would be."

Charon smirked and continued to fire, charging forward as another mutant fell. Nevaeh aimed her rifle at the top of the building, groaning loudly when her cell clicked empty. She crouched down and reached back into the holster on her thigh, pulling out a microfusion cell; she needed to restock, she had only two left. She froze as she clicked the casing over the cell, hearing the tink and then the beeping that came with. . .a frag.

One rolled off to the side of her and Nevaeh scrambled over the pavement, wincing as heat spread over her back. She landed on the ground with a loud _oomph_ and groaned, rocking her forehead back and forth against the pebbles.

"That fucking hurt," she growled, pushing up onto her arms.

She jumped and stared wide eyed at the super mutant that crashed to the ground like a sack of cement in front of her; that thing could have crushed her! She shook her head and slowly staggered to her feet, bending down to grab her rifle from the ground.

"Charon what uh. . ." She turned around, confused by the silence in the air and saw every guard aiming their rifles at Charon and Hound, who was panting heavily on the ground and bleeding from various bullet holes.

She arched an eyebrow, sniffing as she pulled a stimpak from her waist bag and tore the plastic off with her teeth. Hound only twitched as she jammed the needle into his back and she tossed the empty stimpak to the side, cradling her rifle as she moved to stand in front of Charon.

"Awful rude to shoot at people who just saved your ass," she said lowly.

"A ghoul _and_ a hound," one of the men shook his head. "You must have taken one two minute knocks to the head, girl. The hound dies here, the ghoul can wait outside the gates."

"Well, for one, my ghoul is going to go wherever I want him to go - and try to stop him, I would love to see that fight. And Hound isn't going to be bothered either, he's a good boy. He just saved your asses."

She looked down when Hound growled, but he was staring at an alley just behind them, which made Nevaeh arch an eyebrow. As he began to pace towards it, Nevaeh followed, Charon keeping his shotgun trained on the security.

"Ah fuck," Nevaeh sighed.

The woman looked up at Nevaeh, grimacing and then looking down at the bloody patch spreading over her Vault suit at the hip. She had a dog beside her with makeshift iron armor on his chest and left back leg. He was basically coated in blood and panting, but looked to be fine; his Master was a whole other story.

The woman's eyes widened when Hound snuffled around her feet, him and the dog sniffing each other. "Yeah," Nevaeh started and looked back to the woman. "To think, I almost shot you not fifteen minutes ago," the woman narrowed her eyes. "Calm down, I saw the additions to your suit and thought you were a raider. Then I saw the big 111 on your back. I'm from a Vault too," their was an instance slacking in her body. "We can talk about this later," Nevaeh looked over her shoulder. "Hey Charon, I need your help over here."

The woman looked up when she heard the lumbering steps, looking even more exhausted as Charon knelt down to gather her up into his arms.

"D-Dogmeat," she muttered, reaching a hand out to the dog. "Keep up with him, I think I'm about to pass out."

"With the blood loss, I do not doubt it," Charon said gruffly.

Nevaeh looked down at Dogmeat. "That's a Hell of a coincidence," she mumbled. "I wonder. . .hey," she peeked out of the alley. "I'm gonna get these guys set up somewhere and I'll meet you inside, m'kay?"

Charon gave her a concerned look. "Nevaeh, do you think that's wise?"

Nevaeh scowled. "Yes, yes I do now go on - she needs medical attention I can't give out here."

Charon sighed and nodded, Dogmeat whining but he didn't leave Nevaeh's side, and neither did Hound. They looked up to her, Hound's stub of a tail wagging back and forth when she grinned.

"Lets go find you a house, guys."


	3. Nice To Meet You Too

Everything is. . .muffled, when Natalia wakes up.

She groans and her head lolls to the right without her permission, proving she has at least a little Med -X in her system. Her eyes open slowly to the ramshackle ceiling of a basement, frowning when she notices the mannequin's staring down at her. Lifeless eyes and plastic smiles, fingers held out with palms open and fake breasts drawn on crudely with an old marker.

Natalia shakes her head slightly and tries to sit up, too fast, so the shackles around her wrists send her right back down into the table.

And she panics.

She twists and eyes the cushioned latches around her wrists, jerks up so the chains rattle loudly in the small space. So just what the fuck was going on here?

She continues to jerk and begins to growl, close to shouting when a gentle hand. . .slams her back down. The touch isn't strong, but even without seeing it, Natalia can feel the assertive and sure-to-knock-her-the-fuck-out nature of it.

She looks up and finds the woman, the one with the ghoul and that handled Dogmeat. Long black hair damp from either rain or a shower, faint hints of. . .quantum colored dye around the ends where faint curls came in. She wasn't pretty, but there was a striking quality to this woman and her cheekbones. Her eyes weren't real, couldn't be, they were too bright to be human; was she a synth?

The woman crossed her arms over her chest, the sharp points on her raider armor shining on both shoulders. "Your the Vault girl I heard about on the radio," she hummed and shifted her weight. "You certainly look like a Vault Dweller, all pretty and shit."

"I'm not a Vault Dweller," Natalia snapped and jerked at the chains again. "Now let me go!"

"Vault suit, pretty skin," the woman hummed, tapping her boot against the floor. "You really wanna try and convince me you're not a Vault Dweller?"

Natalia shook her head, annoyed curling her upper lip. "I was frozen in a Vault but I am not a Vault Dweller!"

Silence, relatively speaking.

The woman just stared at Natalia and she thrashed and growled, repeatedly said to let her go. Who the fuck was this woman? Where was Dogmeat? Had she saved Natalia just to hold her hostage? Was she from this fabled Institute and was here to replace her?

"Chill the fuck out, for one," the woman snapped and Natalia did seize, but only to glare. "So, you really are from the past? Before the bombs," Natalia furrowed her brow. "You told a handful of traders, bad idea. Only the deaf haven't heard of you."

"Let me go," Natalia bit out.

"Chill out," she repeated. "I gotta get Charon first, I don't doubt you'll try to jump me the moment I let you go and I need someone here to be sure I don't stab you in the throat."

It was all Natalia could do to keep from screaming as she turned around, walking up the stairs and calling for this Charon. Was that the ghoul? She had heard Charon before, so she could assume fairly certainly that was whom she was talking about.

And it was assured.

True, Natalia hadn't seen many ghouls (feral or otherwise to be honest) since she had woken up but this ghoul couldn't be compared to in size and intimidation. Broad shoulder, stern milky eyes and a jaw she was sure could go on for days even without the skin. He had, had a deep tan before his ghoulification, showing in the skin he had and darkened by the red muscle that stood out like a neon sign. He wore patching leather armor with combat shoulder plates and one shin guard, an unusually large shotgun on his back.

He was a tank.

He stood close to the woman, arms crossed over his chest and a scrutinizing gaze on Natalia. The woman reached out, grasping the cuffs that held Natalia down and slowly undid them, humming softly beneath her breath. When she had them undone, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it, sinking down into a chair between two mannequins. She tossed one leg over another, watching Natalia sit up and rub her wrists with a wary gaze; she blew smoke upwards and cocked her head.

"Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way," she started. "My name is Nevaeh, you already know Charon," he grunted. "I doubt you'd know the title I usually give to people, be lucky about that," she took a quick drag.

"Usual title," Natalia arched an eyebrow.

Nevaeh chuckled. "Usual title, back home - well, after the past few years, over most of the country, I'm called the Lone Wanderer," she hummed and exhaled smoke through her teeth. "But you're fresh, you wouldn't know," a sigh. "I was raised in a Vault, 101 back in D.C. but I can't really compare that, can I? You're pre-war, you're more polished than Charon."

"Easy, smooth skin."

"Oooh I'm so terrified," Nevaeh rolled her eyes. "And your dog is fine, I haven't touched a hair on his handsome head. He's having the time of his life right now."

"Where am I," Natalia arched her eyes over the ceiling. "Where did you take me?"

"Diamond City," Nevaeh inhaled. "Something we owe some Piper chic a favor for, she said she wanted to interview one of us for the paper or whatever. I liked her."

"You flirted," Charon griped.

Nevaeh grinned and looked up at him, batting her lashes. "Oh Charon, baby you know I only have eyes for you!"

The ghoul snorted and Natalia looked at Nevaeh warily, the way she cackled and threw her head back, ran her hand down the ghouls arm and wondered if she were serious. Not that Natalia was a bigot, but she was simply - normally - terrified by ghouls. She'd heard of the human/ghoul thing that was actually more common than you'd expect, but Natalia had never understood what the deal was with that.

Maybe she was seeing it first hand?

It didn't give her that necro-vibe she expected.

Nevaeh shook her head and gave Natalia a soft, pitying look. Natalia hated that, she didn't want to see _that_ look, not pointed at _her_ , _never_ pointed at her.

"So," Nevaeh started, eyebrows bunching together as she drew long and hard from her cigarette and then her face relaxed as she exhaled smoke. "Natalia, Woman Out Of Time, you came here looking for someone, right? Your son I do believe."

"What about him," Natalia spoke slowly, cautiously. "Do you. . .do you know something about Shaun?"

Nevaeh shook her head and Natalia visibly deflated, making Nevaeh give her that _look_ again. "Calm down, I didn't mean we weren't gonna try something. Look, Charon and I didn't just come to the Commonwealth for the Hell of it - we came with a purpose, but I can't share. Its. . .classified."

Natalia scoffed, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Classified. . .that's what got the bombs dropped."

Nevaeh rolled her eyes and leaned forward, balancing her elbows on her knees. "Look, I'm being charitable and it isn't like me to be this nice, alright? I wanna help you with your kid, I really do, because the reputation you've already built up sounds pretty familiar to my rag tag group I have coming in," she leaned back in her chair and Natalia still looked skeptical. "You're destined to become a legend, Natalia," she took a small puff from her cigarette, blowing a wobbly circle into the air. "Until my plans start bleeding into yours - and trust me, from experience, they most certainly will bleed together soon - I'll help you look for your kid," she paused. "First, I'm gonna need a few details, then I'll go snooping around the city. Meanwhile, Charon is gonna escort you to Nick Valentine."

Natalia furrowed her brow. "What," she looked up at Charon. "Why?"

"Apparently Nick is a detective and has found nearly all of the missing persons from the Wastes he's been brought to light to. The ones he hasn't found. . .were dead. The lovely, asshole mayor sent us to his assistant and she said he's disappeared and we have a location he was last seen - you both might want to get going."

"Wait just a damn minute," Natalia snapped and Nevaeh rose halfway from her seat. "I didn't ask for your help and I certainly am not going off with some stranger."

"Look, Charon won't touch a hair on your pretty little head unless I say so," Nevaeh looked at him almost coldly. "You get her to Nick as efficiently as possible, ya hear me? I don't want to have to go in there myself, it'll take a lot longer with how many bodies I'm gon a string up," Nevaeh straightened her back, arching onto her toes. "And I'm a better little sneak and eavesdropper than he is, living in a Vault gave me so many special abilities," she sighed. "We really are just trying to help, its kind of our thing unfortunately."

"Do not sound so enthusiastic, Mistress," Charon drawled and Nevaeh rolled her eyes. He looked down at Natalia and she tensed; _Jesus Christ how tall is he?_ "Mistress Nevaeh has told me to listen to any commands given unless I deem them inadequate," he paused. "I am to protect you but not to my own physical cost, you understand," Natalia nodded slowly. "Then we leave when you are ready."

Natalia nodded slowly again, looking over at Nevaeh, who seemed to be trying not to laugh. "Is he. . .what's wrong with him?"

A little hurt flashed through Nevaeh's eyes and she shrugged, hand on her hip. "Charon was just trained very well, about two hundred years ago I'm sure he was ruthless," she huffed. "Hell, I know he was, but that's saved for another time," she reached out and toughly grabbed Natalia's Pip-Boy, her fingers moving effortlessly over the screen. "Here's the deal, you can go get Dogmeat and Hound for this, I feel the place is gonna be pretty fortified and that tank and those teeth will do you all good," there was a loud ping from the speaker and Nevaeh grinned. "Alright, you got the location, I'm gonna to start with the snoopin'," she smacked Charon hard on the ass as he started for the door, receiving a very blunt snarl. "Good luck!"

Natalia cast a quick glance back to Nevaeh as Charon opened the door and bathed them in sunlight. She ducked her head and followed warily behind Charon, catching scathing glares from people beneath red tarps surrounding a big cooking area. Charon huffed and turned left, Natalia following closely behind with her musket now cradled in her hands.

"She uh. . .she always that way?"

Charon snorted. "You have no idea."

* * *

Nevaeh never really understood the bigger cities, New Vegas gave her a headache but at least that was a place she understood.

Kill or be killed, whether that be over a stimpak or something like the entire Mojave itself, the point didn't matter.

It was D.C. with more lights and prettier clothes.

The Commonwealth, however, didn't have factions fighting for their say over the dust. They didn't have the Brotherhood, didn't have the Enclave or robots, didn't have tribals. It didn't have massive power sources being fought over, didn't have secret powers fighting for control, only had one put-together city and the people here were content as could be to sit around on their asses all day and eat noodles.

It was bland, it was shady, it was politics.

Nevaeh peered subtly from behind her dark curtain of hair, at a robot talking rapidly in some other language as it poured noodles and whipped them to the end of the curved bar. The man that caught it looked washed out, bags beneath his eyes and she knew the look well - she'd been a massive drunk before, he'd just been tossed out of his bar-of-choice.

She flipped her hair back and reached into the bag around her waist, pulling a crumpled cigarette butt out and lighting it. This place gave her the jitters, made her ache for a cigarette like nothing had ever before.

Not even Plunkett.

Nevaeh shook her head fiercely and flicked the cigarette butt away; Charon had taken the pack by accident and she wasn't sporting any caps just in case.

"This whole place reeks of noodles and shit," Nevaeh mumbled, slinking - the term was appropriate - into one of the back alleys, grinning when she only saw a child running past her. "They almost name this shit too easy for a gal like me," she hummed and paused, looking down at her Pip-Boy. "I may just have to head out without them. . .damn."

And she definitely wasn't too keen on doing that, but she could handle herself and they had a schedule to keep. They hadn't planned on the chick to be out for as long as she had been and it had kind of put a damper on things. But Nevaeh remembered being fresh from the only life she had ever known, thrust into a vicious world; she'd given herself to the bottle, Natalia had given herself to revenge and steel. She couldn't leave the woman hanging, especially now that she was looking for her child.

Nevaeh had been in a reverse of the roles once, too.

"I seriously thought I had a handle on this whole charitable thing," she sighed and leaned against the tin wall, eyeing the big neon sign that read _Valentine_. "I hope they hurry up. . ."

* * *

Charon was as much of a tank as Natalia had perceived him to be from a first glance.

His shotgun, which she could have sworn was as long as he was tall, cut through pathetic straps and vest like they were just that - cloth.

They screamed " _Triggermen!_ " before they died so Natalia had a good idea of why everyone was wearing the same costume. At least with raiders there was always some sort of variety; power armor, old chain link, melted metal, even plain long johns and leather. These people wore basically the same design and even the same weapons, with enough ammo to keep Natalia stocked for a long time to come. .45 ammo for everyone, she supposed, but at least she would get to use her favorite gun again and that's what counted.

"Are you sure its a good idea to just keep plowing through here," Natalia screamed over the hail of bullets as Charon pumped his shotgun. "I mean, its effective and everything, but what if they get move or even off the guy we're lookin for?"

Charon snarled and Natalia almost thought he'd gone feral, so she raised her gun but he reached into his boot and pulled out yet another massive weapon: A big, black combat knife with a shining, sharp edge. He slung his shotgun into what must have been a highly magnetic strap over his back and leapt over the crates they were taking cover behind; Natalia heard a pathetic gurgle after a moment and saw blood when she stood.

The room was silent.

Charon crouched down and sheathed his knife, grabbing the unused ammo clips and tossing them to Natalia to put in her pack; he hadn't brought one.

"So uh," she started, side stepping the body he left behind. "About them offing our guy. . ."

"Nevaeh was a fool to assist you," he said bluntly, glaring down at the stubborn lock he was working around. "She has a gentle streak in her I thought she had brushed away when she let Autumn live but no, she helped you and because she finds some sort of kinship with your Vault suit."

"Gosh, you really are a peach," Natalia snapped and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "I didn't ask for help, you both offered it, I didn't hear you protesting back there."

"I cannot protest because she demanded I not," he looked up aa the door slid open. "I cannot go against her word, she is my Mistress."

"You two bangin," he glares at her now. "Sorry its just. . .never mind, why can't you just say no?"

"We're close," he whispered and Natalia could hear someone laughing ahead. "One. . .the atrium," he unsheathed his knife again. "We take this one quietly, follow behind me."

Natalia huffed but did as he told her to do, her eyes looking up doe-wide at the massive room they entered. Three stories high and there was a pudgy man in a stitched suit mocking someone behind circular pane of glass. Charon slipped to the left so Natalia did the same, keeping her breathing even and her steps quiet but she , , , couldn't match Charon's surprising ease against the steps, his ability to come up behind the man and slit his throat. Blood sprayed over the glass and the man jerked forward, smearing the redness over the surface and dragging it down as he hit the floor in a gurgling heap.

Charon sheathed his knife and moved to the terminal beside the door, nimble fingers working over the rusty keys. Natalia rubbed at some of the blood, trying to see inside and failing but she saw a faint glow and it was someone lighting a cigarette.

She jumped when there was a loud hiss and Natalia blinked slowly when she saw it was the door to the Overseer's office; damn, the ghoul was a fast bitch with a computer too.

"Is there anything you don't know how to do," Natalia grumbled.

"Mistress says I need to get in touch with my feelings but I find that to be complete horse shit."

Natalia blinked a few times but shrugged him off and stepped into the room, gun in her hands _just in case_.

The man wasn't facing them, shoulders kind of narrow for a man of that height and a slimmer waist than she would imagine but the get up was right for what Charon told her. Even from behind he looked like a wasteland detective, trench coat and fedora, cigarette smoke curling around that accent that was speaking to her but her voice was caught in her throat at the catch of bright yellow optics.

" _Synth_."


	4. Lesbian Sleepovers

She's not taking this well.

"Soooo, you're a 2nd Gen," Nevaeh asked slowly, fiddling with the filter of her cigarette with her thumb nail.

Nick looked up, slightly annoyed but he reminded her of Harkness back in Rivet City, so she wasn't put off by him a bit.

Made her a little homesick though.

"Don' know what I am," he leaned back in that patchy swivel chair of his, the metal fingers on his hand thrumming sharply on his desk. "What are you," he pointed at Nevaeh.

She smirked, crossing her legs and leaning forward; Natalia watched, curious herself but her hands were shaking. This woman. . .couldn't be a woman, she just couldn't, not with those eyes. And the vibe, the cold one, where she seemed so much older and yet she seemed so young; she didn't look over twenty, but something spoke differently.

"Well," Nevaeh purred. "Wouldn't you just love to know, Mr. Valentine."

"Mistress," the ghoul rumbled and poor Ellie, she looked like she might just jump out of her skin.

Nevaeh waved a hand at him dismissively. "Right, right," she leaned back in her chair. "Look, you're not here for me, you're here for Natalia."

Natalia turned her attention to Nick, who had his bright yellow optics on her and it sent that unnatural shiver through her. It wasn't her first interaction with a synth, though it was her first time being so close to a non-hostile one; she still didn't trust him, though he hadn't done anything yet. He had said he wanted to help her, that he didn't have any ill intentions to her jumpiness when he noticed.

"Right, right," he sighed and leaned forward. "Just tell me whatever you can remember from the kidnapping, no matter how. . .painful it may be."

Natalia swallowed thickly, feeling that familiar lump in her throat. Her eyes flickered to every strange face in the room, feeling her body beg to clam up but now was not the time. It was acceptable when Mama Murphy tried to pry, when Preston tried to get too friendly, when Jun wanted to share pain, but not right now with four people so eager to help her find her son.

Speak you fool!

"Shaun," she started softly. "My. . .my babies name is Shaun, he's barely a year old. . .he was taken while I was still trapped," her fingers tightened over her knees. "There was a man, bald, scar over his left eye. . .he shot my husband to get my baby and. . ."

There was a soft hand on her shoulder, which made Natalia flinch but she looked over at Nevaeh and saw stone-faced sympathy. She hated that, she hates it when they look at her when she tells people, she hates the sympathy, that makes her feel so small. She doesn't like that, not ever had she felt small before but these people around her. . .

They were all so much stronger than she was.

"Wait, did you say bald with a scar," Nick cocked his head; she could hear gears humming. "You didn't hear the name Kellogg at all, did you?"

Natalia hesitated, trying to think. _Are we okay? I-Is it over? C'mere baby. I'm not giving you Shaun!_ Natalia shook her head and looked down, desperately needing to be alone but. . .but. . .it wasn't an option. She couldn't keep running away, she had to find her baby; for him, for her husband, to get some kind of rightness to balance out in the world again.

The hand on her shoulder was cold this time, but still Nevaeh, which gave her a chill, the same kind she got when she saw Nick for the first time. "C'mere, panic attack," she eased Natalia out of her chair, much to the red heads confusion. "Just need to take a moment, clear your head -"

"No!" She stumbled as she wrenched her arm from Nevaeh's hands. "N-No! I've taken enough moments! That's why it took me a month to get out of bed and get down here! I-I'm not gonna take a moment!"

The hand around her arm tightened and Natalia could see the temper brewing behind those eyes but Charon pulled Nevaeh away before she could do or say anything. He shoved her - quite literally - out the door and, when it slammed behind them, Natalia felt another hand on her arm. She didn't whirl around, though she wanted to, but those were metal fingers and it was Nick and maybe she did need Nevaeh back in here to hold her steady. He tugged her off to the side, gesturing down the hallway past the door and she pushed past him, her boots thumping loudly as she hurried away from him.

She fell down onto the bed beneath the stairs, holding her head in her bands as she slumped back in an awkward angle against the wall.

What was she doing?

"I know it's difficult," she didn't even look up, just watched the walls flare with red ass he lit a match. "But I plan on helpin' you get your boy back, whatever it takes."

"You're a synth," she hissed at last, looking up and over at him. "Why would you ever help a human?"

"Cus its my job," he wasn't fazed, not one bit, by her crude tone and accusation. "Not th' first to question what I was doin'. Won't be the last," he hummed and sauntered in front of her. "Won't stop me from helpin though, so what's the point?"

She glared at him, her fingers tightening in the sheets riddled with cigarette burns; she could smell the burn of over-worked gears. "I don't want your help," she said slowly. "But. . .can you help me? I mean really help? Because if you're just. . .here to fuck with me or whatever. . .I swear I will dismantle you piece by piece until your pain sensors fry."

He chuckled softly, taking a weird drag from his cigarette; could he even taste it? "I would let ya."

* * *

"Not a single fucking room empty," Nevaeh snapped at Vadim, her fist slamming onto the counter. "C'mon, I know you go somethin open."

He leered at Nevaeh and Natalia watched an instant shift in the woman; how many moods did she go through a day? "I think we can arrange somethin'. . ."

Nevaeh purred. "Oh darling, you couldn't afford me, no matter how big the. . . _room_ ," she sighed and turned away from the bar, waltzing back over to their table and flopping down in the chair in front of Charon. "Well, guess we're sleepin in the streets."

"I wish Sanctuary was closer," Natalia sighed, scratching at her palm. "But I don't think I'd leave though."

Nevaeh snorted and plucked up the bottle of water Charon had forced on her. "Yeah, that wouldn't be happening," she sighed. "I would go try to bum off of that Piper chic but. . .she might jump one of us," she pointed between herself and Natalia. "So, how about we go out into city and sleep with the dogs?"

Natalia was so confused.

"Uh. . .wouldn't that. . .that _thing_ is out there," Natalia shuffled her feet.

Nevaeh snickered. "That's Charon's puppy you're talking about," she paused. "And he's a good boy, but my radroach is better."

Natalia's eyes widened more, if that was possible. "Y-You have a pet radroach?"

Nevaeh chuckled and ashes the cigarette Charon handed her. "Yeah, her name is Fluffy. She's back in the Capital Wasteland being someone's pain in the ass," she sighed. "So, anyway, you wanna try to mooch on someone or out to the ruins we go?"

Natalia chewed on her bottom lip and stood, slapping her hands against her thighs. "Look, ya know what? Why not, lets go over to this Piper chic. . .couldn't hurt, ya know?"

Nevaeh chuckled and stood. "Sure, sure why not go talk to the lesbian reporter? I'm game."

It was dark outside, but with the stadium lights still in working order, everything was so fucking bright. Natalia let Nevaeh walk ahead of her, having no idea where this Piper girl lived or whatever. All Natalia could smell were noodles, hear the buzz of an emptying market; it was like being back in time a little, with the feel in the air and the way everything moved around her. Charon thundered behind her, gaining them dirty looks as they walked but Nevaeh was unfazed. She was probably numb to it, how long had these two been traveling together?

They stopped beside the barber (the only sign it was a barber was the barbers pole twirling lazily in one of the supports) in front of a mash up of a shack and a streamliner, a rumbling press working double time in the hull of the streamliner. There was a severe cursing fit on the other side of the door before it flung open and a curvy woman with short, black, unkempt hair flung the door open. Nevaeh grinned and have her a half wave, wiggling through and letting herself into the house while the girl - presumably Piper - still stared at the doorstep in confusion.

"Hey, hey, hey," Nevaeh chirped, tucking her hands deep into her pockets. "Sorry to just pop in like this, but uh. . .you can publish something on me if we can crash here tonight."

Piper shook her head softly but let Natalia and Charon in; Natalia could see a small child peering between slates of plywood under the stairs. "I would rather one from her," Piper gestured to Natalia. "But I mean, you'd interest them just as much; I mean, you're a freaking legend, ya know?"

Nevaeh chuckled and plopped down on the couch. "Oh yeah," she inhaled sharply through her nose. "First thing in the morning, you get your interview. But, like I said, we need some sleep and also, we have some business to deal with tomorrow so we don't have too much time."

Piper nodded, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. "Then we should all get plenty of sleep to be up early for the interview, hmm? Thanks for doing this, seriously."

Nevaeh chuckled and waved her hand at Piper, who was climbing the stairs. "Good kid," she sighed and crooked a finger at Charon. "C'mon, big guy, you need to get some sleep."

He grumbled but followed to sit beside her, his shotgun curled tightly in his hands; Nevaeh curled her legs up on the couch, leaning her head against Charon's shoulder. Natalia shuffled uncertainly by the door but sat in a decently cushioned love seat in the corner. Nevaeh whispered something against Charon's shoulder, her eyes on the door and her voice so low Natalia didn't even hear a murmur. Charon grunted something in response and Nevaeh sighed, shifting and closing her eyes, her fingers curled around her laser rifle between them; they'd slept on the road a lot.

When seemingly enough time had passed and Natalia still wasn't asleep, Charon spoke. "She is not my lover," Natalia's eyes flickered up to him. "Do not let her hear you ask or hint to such a thing, she does not take it well."

"Why," Natalia whispered. "Why would something like that make her so angry?"

"Because she. . .had a lover," he even looked uncomfortable talking about it. "That is all I will leave it at, she keeps that very personal to her."

Natalia's eyes barely softened, but they did a little. "I don't like talking about my husband either," she sighed. "Nick said he was coming with us to scout for Kellogg," she paused. "Do you. . .do you trust him?"

Charon's chest inflated but he made no noise. "Yes," he said firmly. "Not all synth are bad."

Natalia didn't say anything, curling up tighter in her chair and staring at the floor. She didn't know, she didn't trust synth, only because they were replacing people so easily; it was almost cruel.

Nick seemed okay enough, he did seem earnest in only wanting to help her, and Nevaeh and Charon seemed honest in wanting to help. Maybe she would actually thank Preston for kicking her out of Sanctuary for a time, she would still be wrapped up in bed and wouldn't have found help.

This wasn't something she could do alone.

* * *

"Why are you in the Commonwealth?"

"That's classified, lil lady."

"Touché," Piper nibbled on the end of her pencil. "What do you think of it so far? You've been to possibly worse places, correct?"

Nevaeh chuckled dryly, pain in her eyes. "You have no idea, kid," she sighed. "The Commonwealth isn't as bad as some of the places out there. Sure, you have your Deathclaws and you raiders, your Gunners and the other nasty things lurking around but. . ." She shook her head, chewing softly on her bottom lip. "There are nastier things than the Institute," she said firmly. "I'm physically missing pieces of myself and so are my friends from the worse monsters out there. But that doesn't mean its not worth fighting against. Replacing your family. . .that's fucked up."

"Would you be willing to fight against the Institute, if you had to?"

Nevaeh paused, eyes flickering over to Charon; Natalia caught the tail end of a shake of the head. "Sure," Nevaeh yawned. "I knew some of the synth that escaped from there. . .things they told me? All of the other synth they hunted down? They were ashamed to be what they were. The Institute is just another monster though, a hero will come along and fight - and win - eventually."

"Quite the way with words," Piper smiled. "Thank you for the interview, by the way. I know that of those questions seemed a little personal. . ."

Nevaeh waved a hand, grabbing her pack of cigarettes as she stood from the chair. "Its fine, its fine, got a guy back home that would gab about whenever I farted in an empty Vault. Its a wonder he didn't end up deep throating that mic."

Piper snickered and Natalia actually chuckled. "Well, we don't have that problem here, poor Travis has a panic attack over knocking over his soda at supper, I doubt he has the capacity to chase down details of every lead in the Wasteland."

"Sounds like someone needs to get laid," Nevaeh wiggled her eyebrows.

Piper snorted. "Look, you be my guest but I wanna be there when you offer."

Nevaeh barked out a laugh, headed for the door. "You'll be the first to know," she winked before turning her attention to Natalia. "You ready to do this?"

Natalia sighed and nodded. "Yes, I guess so. . ." She ran a hand through her hair. "I guess I don't really have a choice. . .I can't find him on my own anymore. And I have to find my son."

Nevaeh nodded once, opening the door. "And we'll do that, but uh. . .well, there's a small problem."

Natalia stopped in the dirt as Nevaeh shut the door softly behind her, looking a bit out of place; Charon looked suspicious of her as well. "Uh. . .what's wrong?"

Nevaeh shook her head. "Nothing's _wrong_ , but remember when I said Charon and I were here for classified reasons," Natalia nodded. "Well, that's coming to bite me in the ass. Taking care of you put me a days behind in the schedule. . ."

"I am not going with her while you meet the others," Charon snapped.

"Yes you are," Nevaeh snapped right back. "I need to meet them, and she needs to find her kid," Nevaeh pulled back. "It could be a lead on the Institute, okay? And we need to get in there. This Kellogg, we know he worked for them, so we're gonna keep up with it - you two are, I'll meet you wherever you contact me from," she held up her Pip-Boy. "Use her Boy to contact me and I'll be there as fast as possible, got me? If I can't get to you. . .well, you know where to find me," she winked at Charon. "Now, you two hurry up and lets get this show on the road, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am," Charon ground out.

Nevaeh nodded firmly once and turned her attention to Natalia. "He'll keep you safe; you've seen him in action."

"But what about you," Natalia shook her head. "Don't you need him?"

Nevaeh chuckled. "I survived long enough without this big lug around, I can handle myself. You just worry about your boy."

Natalia nodded. "Alright, alright," she paused. "Take Dogmeat with you, just in case."

"Nah, I got Hound. I'll send Dogmeat back with ya'll once I reach the mutts."

"Be careful, Mistress," Charon said firmly.

Nevaeh winked again. "I always am."


	5. Sitting, and Waiting, and Prying

_**I cannot apologize enough for my absence, but my life has been very hectic as-of-late and you can thank**_ _TehKinkehWalrus_ _ **for getting me straight and back into Fallout stories. I was mostly caught in a loop of**_ _Avengers, Hannibal_ _ **and**_ _Supernatural._ _ **But my life seems pretty settled right now, and I can focus on Fallout once again. You should all really check out**_ _TehKinkehWalrus_ _ **and my joint account**_ _verysaggyladies_ _ **because we have a story over there that isn't about the SS, it focuses on an OC for the Railroad and guys, its really good, and it's gonna get better. So enjoy this, go and enjoy that, and I am updating as much as I can before I have to get back out there and be an adult again.**_

 _ **NOTE:** also, you can find me on Twitter **(** LikePicklez **)** for questions, suggestions and update information. If stories are discontinued, it is posted there. If a schedule is changed, it is posted there as well. I am on there more than I am on here, and its a lot easier to say I will be a minute with updates on there than wasting a chapter space on here. Anyway, find me on there if you have questions or whatever, anything at all, contact me peeps *peace sign*_

* * *

It is odd, having such a hulking figure to follow her, but Natalia honestly has to say she does not mins it all that much.

Charon is silent, Charon is vigilant, Charon does not waste ammo or take up space, even though he is the second biggest figure she has met since Strong.

She doesn't trust him though, no really, not yet, because she doesn't know this ghoul, and she has never been deeply fond of them in the first place. Of course, her main experience had been with ferals, and she knew that had scarred her subconscious against anything labeled ghoul. But he seems to have a decent head on his shoulders, though he didn't like the idea of traveling with her as much as she hated the idea od traveling with him.

Thank God Dogmeat liked him, because she would have already ran.

He took to Charon's military stride easily, nose to the ground and ears up, eyes darting every which way. He was on red alert ahead of them, keeping an eye out, moving in a way Natalia hadn't seen so far.

"You're from D.C.," Natalia questioned without turning around to him.

He grunted.

"How bad is it?" Silence. "I'm trying to make an effort here, I don't wanna be totally uncomfortable the entire time we're together. And who knows how long that will be."

He sighed. "D.C. was in shambles for the past two hundred years," Charon admitted finally; when had he reached her side? She felt so small. "Raiders ran like cockroaches through the ruins, super mutants were more common that clouds in the sky, the only way to reach anything through the rubble was to go through tunnels infested with mole rats, ghouls and crazed junkies. The Capital was gone as far as we were all concerned. . ."

"And then her?"

A pause. "Yes, until her," he paused again. "She came from a Vault, relied on alcohol to keep her going and instability to keep others at bay. And then she seemed to grow a conscious, came for me, saved people, made it all better."

Natalia chuckled softly. "Sounds like you admire her."

"I do admire my employer," he tightened his grip around his shotgun. "She has done more than she will get credit for, more than even the Brotherhood could do. And she did it while trying to fix her companions and people who didn't care about her."

Natalia stayed silent, and he seemed to be thankful for that. She stared at the sunset as they followed Dogmeat, listening to him yap, absent-mindedly grabbing whatever he pointed his nose at before he found the scent and went again. Following a blind trail with only a dogs nose o guide them, and she was listening to a soldier tell his employers story.

* * *

 _ **Nevaeh. . .**_

* * *

Bad idea, going on her own.

She had been alone for a long time, sure, but she didn't realize how much of her ass Charon covered until now.

Yeah, Hound was doing a _great_ job of tearing into that raiders throat, but he didn't shoot bullets or dive out of the way of them either.

He had two bullet wounds on his side he seemed unfazed by, but they were leaking that dark green blood and Nevaeh tried to get a stimpak to him, but she was busy with a mongrel that had the barrel of her gun between its exposed jaw. The teeth were sick and yellow, on full view with gums pushing back its lips and it drooled hot, stinking fucking drool onto her neck and arms. It was pretty big, with a chain collar clanking around its emaciated neck; it snarled and reared back, diving for her throat again but Nevaeh caught her rifle between its teeth yet again.

"Hound!" She snapped, grunting as she flipped the mongrel beneath her, twisting her gun around and ramming the end down the dogs throat. "Fucker die!"

She pulled the trigger and the dogs eyes bugged, entire body ceasing and rippling before it started to drift away in bits of ash. Nevaeh pushed her hair back, looking around and watching Hound tearing through a still-alive raiders gut; he screamed and wailed, but there was only the Wasteland to hear him.

Nevaeh jerked when she heard a familiar roar in the distance, pushing up in a haste and grabbing her waist bag before she kicked Hound in the haunches. She fired once and killed the raider while Hound wagged his stubby tail at her, looking for approval and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes you did a great job - but come on we drew too much attention."

She whistled once and he started trailing behind her as Nevaeh sprinted through the trees, desperate to get as far from that slaughter ground as possible.

She wished Charon had a radio, she hated going this long without contact, but she knew if he needed her, he had Natalia's radio. The woman was older than Nevaeh, by centuries, and even technically. It was Nevaeh's line of work keeping people safe and helping them, she wouldn't wimp out on this woman that wanted so hard to find her baby, punish the people responsible.

Nevaeh's heart hurt.

She scratched at her chin as she stopped at the waters edge, wincing when she pulled off a hefty scab and looked at blood beneath her nails. She shrugged it off and cradled her rifle in both hands this time, only a tad slower than her normal pace.

"You're lucky people are used to seeing me bring home creep-crawlies," Nevaeh muttered, looking down at Hound. "Fluffy wasn't even the weirdest thing I brought home. One time, I brought home two pet ghouls."

* * *

 _ **Natalia. . .**_

* * *

They tracked him down.

They fucking _tracked him down_.

An old military base, one Nate went to when he wasn't feeling so well, would stay for a few days, come home good as new. She knew this place, knew it well, better than that fuck ever could, but not better than Charon.

"I visited here before being shipped out of Boston," Charon murmured as they hid behind one of the concrete barricades. "They did psych evaluations here, equipment, new technology sent out by C.I.T., this place is fortified and heavily, we will have to use caution."

Natalia just wanted to break down the door.

She was itchy and nervous, ready to blow the roof off of this place, but Charon was right. Fresh turrets hugged the best vantage points of the roof, trip wires and laser traps were strung through the bushes, and who knew what waited for them inside.

This man, _Kellogg_ , was no fool.

Natalia sighed, resting the butt of her rifle against the ground as she rocked back and forth in her crouch. "So, what do we do then?"

Charon was silent for a long time, focusing apparently on the turrets around the roof. Natalia looked at them as well, watched their focus pull closer towards them every time she moved; Dogmeat whined softly, head on his paws. She reached out and scratched between his ears, gaining a quick wag of his tail before he settled again.

"Nevaeh has the collapsible rifle," Charon muttered. "So there is no option of sniping them out."

"If we can just get on the roof, I'm positive there's plenty of things to hide around. Your shotgun can take them out at close range."

"How steady are your hands," he looked over at her. "Because you have quite a bit to undo before we make it up those back ramps."

Natalia shrugged, a little nervous because she didn't know what those trip wires were rigged to. Cameras? Traps? The turrets themselves? She would find out, she supposed, and told Dogmeat to stay put while she set to work.

Charon worked a ways off from her, careful and precise, but definitely faster than she was; years of practice, she supposed. She tried not to study him, tried to pay attention to what she was doing, but she hadn't been able to see him really work until now.

Natalia froze when she felt a wet nose against her cheek, looking at Dogmeat with a mix of despair and anger as the wire slipped from between her fingers and into the box. There was a loud beeping, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from and snatched up Dogmeat by his collar, dragging him towards the road as fast as possible.

Explosions erupted behind her, metal flying through the air, the turrets whirring, firing bullets around her. She screamed when one caught her in the shoulder, pain erupting over her back and down her arm but she kept running until they made it to the checkpoint and hid inside the concrete cubicle. Dogmeat whimpered and sunk to the floor, Natalia noticing the bullet lodged in his back right leg.

"I feel bad for you, even though I'm shot to and this is kind of your fault," he whimpered as she dug around for a stimpak and a pair of tweezers. "Come here, I can't reach mine but I can reach yours."

He shuffled closer to her and huffed when she grabbed his leg, gently even though she knew it hurt something awful. It wasn't too bad, and she was pretty sure she got it all out, confidently injecting the stimpak.

" _What the hell just happened?!_ "

Natalia shrunk into herself a little as she looked over at Charon, who had burns across the leather on his right hip, but otherwise appeared fine. She hesitated and then pointed at Dogmeat, who lowered his head to the ground in shame.

"Are you blaming the dog?"

"It really was his fault though, he set off the trap I was undoing!"

Charon sighed immediately, almost before she had even finished the sentence, and Natalia shook her head. He caught her when she keened in pain, eyes narrowing on the blood coming from her shoulder.

"You were shot," he stated.

Natalia shrugged in a weird way, careful not to move her busted shoulder. "Yeah, turret got me."

"Sit down and let me examine it," Charon ordered and she was in no manner to deny she needed attention. "Nevaeh would have already used a stimpak," he murmured as Natalia wiggled onto the edge of the desk.

She snorted as he stepped up behind her, examining the wound with surprisingly gentle hands. "That's stupid, it could close around shrapnel."

"Nevaeh. . .was a teenager when she stepped outside of her Vault," Charon admitted. "She had not been properly taught, they had never had to handle bullet wounds."

There was a break of silence. "She's from a Vault," Natalia mused.

"101, in the Capital she is a hero."

"Anywhere else?"

"They know nothing of her strings," he had a clipped tone, letting her know share-time was coming to a close soon. "Most do see her as a villian back in our Wasteland."

" _Our_ Wasteland," Natalia chuckled and then winced, feeling the bit of metal he was extracting from her skin tug at the edges of the wound. "You stake a claim on it?"

"In a way."

When he spoke no further, Natalia nodded to herself and then fell just as silent. She wasn't too invested in these two strangers, didn't want to be, but she had been a lawyer on a past life. She was curious to their back story, trying to gauge who was victim and who was perp. And if they were going to be on her side, she needed to know what their's originally was. She had an inkling it wasn't the best, and that they may have been using her to a point, but they volunteered to help and Charon had done nothing yet to prove a guilty party so Natalia would continue to simply keep a close eye and try to pry more information from him.

* * *

 _ **Nevaeh. . .**_

* * *

"Haven't experience such a big crock-of-shit since Grayditch," Nevaeh muttered as she sat at the rocks edge, swinging her legs so the heels of her boots knocked against the stone. "It wasn't that long of a damn walk. . ."

Of course, she and Charon had come partially by truck, but still.

Nevaeh groaned and threw her head back, sliding from the boulder to the ground, grunting when a stick jammed through her pants and into the back of her thigh. She adjusted her seating position and watched Hound circle a squirrel up a tree; it was a small thing, irradiated and covered in lesions like most of the animals that naturally made it through the years.

"Leave it alone already," Nevaeh snapped at the hulking mass of green-ish, brown muscle, but he paid her no mind. "I hope it bites your tongue going down."

Hound still ignored her and Nevaeh rolled her eyes as she pushed herself to her feet, walking over to the bench thrown together with cinder blocks and old planks of wood. A ham radio sat on the bench, and Nevaeh clicked it on yet again to check for a new signal, finding nothing on the breeze as she adjusted the dial.

They should have been here.

She wasn't worried, they probably hit a few snags as expected, but she never did like waiting. She liked a good schedule when it came to big moves like this, especially when her own people were involved.

She sighed and dropped her hands from the radio, looking South, chewing softly on her bottom lip. She'd been here for a couple of hours listening to silence, accompanied by the crackle of the radio when she turned it on, and with no news, there was no reason for her to still be here.

"I should go catch up with them," she murmured, able to see the distant shape of the old base Charon had said they were headed for. "But. . ."

She had a job.

"They know me by now though," Nevaeh griped to empty air as she grabbed her laser rifle, swaggered to her feet. "Alright, lets head back, I can't stand sitting around and waiting."

Hound looked up at her with a decidedly happy expression, considering it was mauled by that mouthful of fucked up teeth, and followed dutifully behind her. Thankfully they had made plans if they arrived and the post was empty for whatever reason, they would all find each other in the end, Nevaeh had no doubts.


End file.
